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This Was Apple’s Most Significant WWDC Announcement. Why It’s Bad News for Google and Facebook Developers will have to disclose exactly what information their apps collect about users. 


An interesting idea but I doubt much will truly change.
In my Android → iPad conversion I came to the conclusion that Android made it easier for me to know what data I am sharing with applications; iOS makes it more clear that I am sharing data. But in practice people aren’t going to stop using their services just because of data collection. At best, we can hope users read the privacy policies, and that the platform gods police bad actors on their store fronts.
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What would make you buy a new Amazon Kindle?

This is something I put a bit of thought into with my recent decision to get a modern Kindle. Chiefly it was driven by two facts about my old HDX7: it’s so old, I can’t remember what year the lock screen adds last refreshed never mind how many years “Yeah, that’s not supported anymore. Please use a browser instead.” has been the answer to various functions.
Secondly of course is the fact that my HDX was mostly used for reading, not for apps. Getting an e-Ink model was a natural choice versus another Fire series. For the most part, I think there’s only two things I could see that would make me upgrade before my Kindle is likewise old as heck.
1/ USB-C because the only other devices I typically charge that still use USB Micro-B are things like headphones and speakers. Devices that aren’t likely to retire until they break, no longer hold a suitable charge, or become a source of pain over the aging Bluetooth standards. So things that will probably die by the time USB connectors other than Type-C have gone the way of the floppy diskette.
2/ Tremendous boost in US performance. Because tasks like looking up words or shifting through annotations ain’t very fast on the Kindle 10 by any means. But when you consider that it’s hard to make the device any cheaper, and the SoC has enough oomph not to worry about ebooks exceeding its capabilities: it’s hard to complain about showing some patience for infrequently used interfaces to finally open.
Let’s say I’m not expecting to buy a new Kindle in a very long time unless I run out of Micro USB charging cables, lol
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Covid Will Have Larger Impact on Commercial Than Residential Real Estate, Says New York Architect

I’m kind of interested to see what new buildings will look like in a few decades, both given the pandemic and the rise of technology.
Can’t say I expect people’s homes to change too wildly. Apartment corridors, stairwells, and elevators might change a bit, but I expect most people will carry on and slowly adapt fancy technology as prices drop.
Public and professional spaces on the other hand are a bit different. Your home is mostly your own and people who frequently have half the neighborhood for guests aren’t the norm; for better or worse. But where you work, travel, and conduct necessary business and the trappings are able to change.
For some reason I find myself remembering the tag office where I used to live. We’d all be packed in line like sardines unless you hit just the right off peak. At that time renewing online, or going to a self service kiosk wasn’t a thing. Hell, their computers looked kike leftover 486 machines in the era of Pentiums.
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TIL: xfce4-terminal has a drop-down mode.

And it’s actually pretty nice and simple compared to some I’ve seen over the years.
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Chromebooks desperately need more than 4GB of RAM in 2020.

A subject that I find interesting: because the “Fattening of the modern web” was what principally drove me to requiring more system memory. I found that one of my machines would constantly thrash shortly after a web browser entered the picture; didn’t matter if it was Firefox, Chrome, or Opera (which was truly different back then).  I think that machine has 5 GB installed because the 3 GB I had enough parts to reach just couldn’t cut it, so I had to buy a 2 GB stick for the fourth slot. Once I got past the third gigabyte the thrashing went away, and performance remained stable while having a browser open.
Today my main PCs have 12 and 16 GB of memory installed l and I envision their successor as needing 16 GB base with provisions to be upgraded to at least 32 GB. Because I strongly question if anything less will last another 5-10 years.
Why have I arrived at this? Because modern computing uses lots of memory. I’ve owned computers with less memory than some web pages require in file sizes never mind the amount of memory to render them in a contemporary manor. The rise of container and virtualization technologies adds to this, not just the hailstorm of things like JavaScriot, style sheets, and images all over.
For many years now: I’ve viewed 4 GB as adequate for tasks like Chromebooks, and general productivity. But that time is coming to pass us by as software continues to gobble bytes like candy.
On my 12 GB system: often enough the memory utilization hovers too close to half for me to view 4 GB as comfortable anymore. The machine’s main purpose being Direct 3D games, I’m less concerned because while games are active they will be the main focus for resource allocation.
On my 16 GB system where buffer caching and containers typically consume any memory I’m not throwing directly at development tasks, I’ve often felt the desire for double the memory capacity. Because of how often I find myself thinking: nest not try building two of these projects at once 😅.
For the most part I think we’re headed for another leap in memory. In the sense of how we went from diddly squat to over ten megs, and how we transitioned from tend to hundreds of megs of system memory. He’ll, I remember when a shit ton of memory was still measured in kilobytes….

Reflects on RE 1998 and 2019 map design

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One of my various wonders about RE2 was just how much its maps differ from the original, a game I didn’t see anywhere near as much of as the PlayStation releases of Resident Evil. Little to my surprise looks like there’s a website out there with detailed maps and item info for like every RE game ever.

Including maps for the original Resident Evil 2 from 1998 and the 2019 remake. It’s an interesting look back actually.
One of the things I rather like about RE2 is the map design. We’re still off in crazy territory in terms of things like the statue puzzle, and any sense that the RPD was once a museum. But it’s a pretty straight forward design: a balance between simplicity, and the need for content.
The 1998 design feels more like the layout for a real building. Some of the layout changes for 2019 are neat: such as joining the Records Room with a separate Supply Room that links it to both the Operations Room, and the West Central Passage leading to the Dark Room by the west stairs. It was even done in a way that offers different keys for Leon and Claire. But the 2019 building feels less natural in many places.
Combined with the “Trick” to the Operations Room I think this does works kind of well. The 1998 design basically gives you a set of winding corridors to the west stairs and the Dark Room at its base. In the 2019 design this is more literally a winding corridor that discourages you from ever lingering there. Barricades and destruction reek of the place being overrun by zombies, and we see some of that action in the RE3 remake. Because of the barricades and damage: you’ve got to break into the operations room, go damn it the Supply Room door is chained shut, and huff your arse through a window into the West Central Passage.
This puts a lot of pressure on you the get the frigg out of there, and combined with the Supply / Records rooms vs how the old File Storage and Evidence Rooms were laid out: give you escape vectors. Something that matters when not only are the undead out to eat your brains, but Mr.X would like to punch your lights out. For better or worse as much as this layout change improves the run for your life factor: the West Central Passage is the place you go to die. It’s far more complex layout makes it easier to get turned around between the multitude of monsters out to get you by the later phases of the game. But as a consolation we get the Safety Deposit Room. A place you’ll either go to escape having your eyes scratched out, or risk getting chomped just to raid for supplies. Feel free to curse the puzzle loving bastards who hid the replacement caps for the keypad, lol.
The east side is also a growth in complexity but still pretty faithful. The second floor follows this trend mainly gaining more rooms, and the third floor goes from being diddly squat to something more in line with the rest of the station. The basement may as well be starting from scratch, but areas like the cell block  and kennels are much more believable in their scope.
The Sewer system likewise feels more like a started over from scratch, and in the remake was probably the area I spent the most grokking at the map trying to navigate. Where as in the RPD, I mostly was preoccupied with where key items could be found. The lab areas seem more faithful, but are also a spot where the 2019 game becomes unnaturally simple and direct to the point.
Actually, if I was smart, I’d probably find myself a cheap copy of the original game and pop the disc into my PlayStation 2.
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Moron; noun: when you realize that it’s too late to make coffee and a candy bar has to do.

On the flip side things got done, I just didn’t get any coffee in the process 😂.

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Me: Working on the computer.

Willow: Whining for a treat.

Me: “If you’re gonna bug me then I’m gonna bug you!”
Me: *Picks up dog, gives hug, sits down, and pets dog*
Willow: *wags tail, enjoys minute of attention, jumps off*
Me: *Walks over to the dog treats*
Yeah, you can figure out the rest.
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Things I will miss after the pandemic: traffic being so darned light, as most of those able to work from home, actually do.

Thing’s I won’t miss: finding a dozen mega rolls on the store shelves, and being thrilled!

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Upside of email notifications: knowing you’ve got email.

Downside of email notifications; “Huh, why the @#$& am I awake now?”

Which makes me remember this morning, that I had a dream about people being disappointed by my unwillingness to work twenty days straight without sleep. That was an interesting dream….lol